Point of Grace

Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group formed in 1991, made up of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, Terry Jones, and Heather Payne. The group immediately had a #1 Christian single, I’ll Be Believing, which was followed five years later by their second #1 single, Steady On, and their third, Blue Skies, in 2001. Terry Jones left in November 2003 to spend more time with her family after the birth of her third child. Leigh Cappillino joined the group in March 2004 for their 2004 release I Choose You. In June 2008, Payne announced her retirement from the group to spend more time with her family. The current trio, made up of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino, continues to perform. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1993. In 2003, they released their ninth album, 24 – a compilation of 24 previous hits. Point of Grace was formed at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, by Denise Masters, Terry Lang, and Heather Floyd, who knew one another from Norman, Oklahoma and sang together in a 14-member female vocal group called The Ouachitones. The three women formed a trio within the group, and were singing a cappella after a sound check when an onlooker suggested that they should do something together. Shelley Phillips from Little Rock, Arkansas, came to OBU on a scholarship in vocal performance and was singing in a group called the Praise Singers, made up of four women and four men, who traveled around the country performing. She was a roommate and sister of Masters in the Chi Delta, and when Masters, Lang, and Floyd decided to form a trio, Phillips suggested that she join to form a quartet. The group called themselves Say So, taken from Psalm 107:2 ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.") The group shared their own management, with Floyd responsible for publicity and album sales, Lang for finances, Phillips for booking, and Masters in charge of music; they also carried and set up their own equipment before performances. They performed every weekend for the rest of that year, then recorded an independent album. They attended the 1992 Music in the Rockies Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, at which they won the Overall Grand Prize in the Group competition with a performance of "He's The Best Thing". The group subsequently received interest from major record labels, and signed with Word Records, moving to Nashville to record their self-titled debut album. On August 23, 1993, led by the No.1[citation needed] single "I'll Be Believing", Point of Grace released their self-titled debut album. The album's next five singles also reached the top of the charts, a record that has not yet been equalled.[citation needed] In 1993, they were named New Artist of the Year at the 24th GMA Dove Awards and embarked on a national tour with Wayne Watson, for whom they sang backup after opening each concert. After that tour ended, they began doing concerts on their own. The group went into the studio towards the end of 1994 to begin work on their second album, meeting 35 different songwriters.[citation needed] On March 15, 1995, The Whole Truth was released. The album's first single, "The Great Divide", reached No.1, the group's seventh consecutive No.1 single. The album was a chart success, remaining at No.1 for 13 consecutive weeks, and in the Top 10 for 45 consecutive weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1997, and the following four singles also reached the top of the charts. Point of Grace embarked on a nationwide tour with Phillips, Craig & Dean and guest Cheri Keaggy, and were also a part of the Young Messiah Farewell Tour, alongside Sandi Patty, 4Him, and Larnelle Harris. They also contributed songs to several special-event albums. They recorded a new rendition of the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus" for the Hymns & Voices album; the song "Hold On To Me" for the My Utmost for His Highest project; and a new version of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" for the album Christmas Carols Of The Young Messiah. They were named the 1996 Group of the Year at the Dove Awards and also won Doves for Pop/Contemporary Recorded Album of the Year (The Whole Truth), Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year ("The Great Divide"), and Special Event Album of the Year (My Utmost For His Highest). In July 1995, having been featured in publications such as the Ladies Home Journal and TIME Magazine, the group signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster, co-written with Davin Seay. The book included the life story of each member, and other chapters were divided into question-and-answer sections addressing topics like dating, sex, clothes, family life, and friends. The group also began work on their third album. John Mays, the A&R who had signed them to Word Records, had left to join Sparrow Records, and the group were left to make all major decisions, as executive producers of the album. The result was Life Love & Other Mysteries, released on September 9, 1996. The book was released on the same day, subtitled "Advice and Inspiration from Christian Music's No. 1 Pop Group". On the day of the album release, Word Records chartered the Dallas Mavericks' DC-9 jet and the group flew to five different cities in one day to promote the album. At each stop they performed their current single, "Keep The Candle Burning", which went to No.1 on the day their album released, their twelfth consecutive No.1 single. A music video with footage from the whirlwind promo tour was released a few months later. The group announced a co-headline arena tour with 4Him, who had just released their album The Message, which was very successful, leading to the addition of a spring leg which lasted into early summer of 1997. In 1996, the group contributed the song "Follow the Star" to the album Emmanuel: A Musical Celebration of the Life of Christ. They were not able to go on the tour, with Avalon taking their place. Life Love & Other Mysteries has been among their highest-selling albums to date, certified gold by the RIAA in 1997 and platinum in 1999. The album debuted at No.1 and stayed there for 10 weeks, finishing as one of the Top 5 selling albums of 1997 and one of the Top 10 of 1998. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 1997, and the group was nominated for the 1997 Group of the Year at the Dove Awards, with "Keep The Candle Burning" nominated for Song of the Year. The group performed the song during the live The Nashville Network broadcast from the Sommet Center. They continued touring until September 1997, taking a break when Masters's first child was born in October. Point of Grace began work on their new album in late 1997/early 1998, with producer Brown Bannister developing a more progressive, live band sound, and less programming than previous albums. Chris Eaton managed the vocal production, with more intricate vocal arrangements than previously. The group previewed some of the new songs, including "Jesus Is", "Steady On", and "Better Days", at one-off concert dates in the spring and summer of 1998, with a pause in the middle of recording for Terry Jones to give birth to her first child on April 15. The remaining members appeared at the 1998 Dove Awards, where they were nominated for Artist of the Year, Group of the Year, and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year for "Circle Of Friends", but did not win in any category. During The Nashville Network broadcast of the show, pre-show host Kathy Troccoli announced the birth of Jones' child a week earlier. In July 1998, a new single was released, the title song from the album Steady On. A CD single was also released to Christian bookstores. The release include a pop remix and a dance remix version of "Steady On", as well as enhanced content on the CD, such as brief bios of the group members, excerpts from a new devotional book, a photo gallery, and other anecdotes. The album was released on August 4, 1998, and debuted at No.1 on the SoundScan sales chart,